


Day 25.2: Shockwave Again

by GemmaRose



Series: Kinktober 2019 [13]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Disagreements, Insults, M/M, Slice of Life, implied past Bad Things done by optronix, introductions, protective friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-02 17:52:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21165704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemmaRose/pseuds/GemmaRose
Summary: After one too many close calls, Shockwave admits that perhaps he and his mechs could benefit from having a more capable warrior in their midst. Optronix provides one of his best.





	Day 25.2: Shockwave Again

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone here is at IDW scale, Shockwave and his Outliers having come in together while Hot Rod and Roller arrived some time before from different IDW 'verses. Hot Rod has consumed a number of conflicting transformative synthblends and so has a lot of mismatched kibble, notably: shoulder wheels, wings, a beastformer tail, insectoid legs, the boy's a mess.

“I’m ho~me.” Shockwave called out as he strode into the clearing where he and his students had made their camp, and five pairs of optics snapped to him. Windcharger was first to his pedes, and Shockwave gamely held his arms out to his sides so the mech could see he was unharmed. Dented and scuffed, to be sure, but he much preferred to scrub Optronix’s paint transfers off in the stream near camp than risk it anywhere between here and Silverbough.

“Who’s the mech following you?” Skids asked, and Shockwave chuckled as the rest of his little gang of outliers startled. Hot Rod’s buzzsaw even sprang out, flames flickering along the edge of his wings as he got ready to fight.

“That’s cute.” Roller snorted, stepping out from the shadow of the trees, and Shockwave stepped aside to gesture at the hulking mech as grandiosely as he could manage.

“This is Roller.” he introduced the mech to the group, and Skywarp waved. “Roller will be staying with us from now on, Optronix sent him with me to keep me safe.”

Thundercracker snorted, and Skids kicked him. “Shut up, you’re just jealous.”

“Excuse you, why would I be jealous?” Thundercracker gestured at Skywarp, who beamed and scooted over to cuddle up to his mate.

“However, Roller and I discussed the details of our arrangement on the way here, and we came to a... slightly different agreement.”

“And what’s that?” Hot Rod asked, buzzsaw still extended and optics narrow. Shockwave privately wondered how often the little mech had been betrayed since arriving here on Unicron, to distrust so harshly.

“I’ll play personal guard for him when the Hunt is on and Optronix can see me.” Roller answered, and Shockwave clasped his hands demurely in front of himself with an upward flick of his wings. “Otherwise, I’ll either be here at camp or accompanying whoever’s fetching the mega-cycle’s energon.”

“In other words, Roller is volunteering to be the other half of the buddy system.”

“Is this mandatory?” Hot Rod scowled, and Shockwave shook his helm.

“You’re still exempt, we know you can look out for yourself.”

“I don’t.” Roller huffed, and Hot Rod scowled at him, buzzsaw retracting as he crossed his arms.

“Ah, ah.” Shockwave stepped up between them, raising an open palm to them both. “No infighting, the last thing we need is to go roughing each other up when medical supplies are so scarce.”

“Yes, Shockwave.” Hot Rod sighed, and Shockwave smiled at him.

“Now, why don’t you all introduce yourselves.” he gestured for Roller to come further into the camp and take a seat at the rough circle of boulders they’d dragged and teleported into the camp as seating.

“I’m Skywarp, and this is Thundercracker.” Skywarp led without hesitation, throwing an arm around his mate with his usual boisterous energy. “We’re bonded, so hands off.”

“Noted.” Rolled grinned as Thundercracker pulled Skywarp across his lap for better cuddles. Truly, Shockwave envied their easy affection.

“I’m Skids.” Skids flicked a hand casually over his helm. “Think you could teach me a few things about Unicron?”

“Nothing I haven’t, I bet.” Hot Rod scoffed.

“Never hurts to ask.” Skids shrugged.

“I’m Windcharger, and the little firecracker over there is Hot Rod.” Windcharger indicated Hot Rod with a vague wave of his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

“I’m not.” Hot Rod huffed, and Shockwave stifled a sigh.

“Hot Rod, if you have a problem come out and say it.” he said sternly.

“I’m more surprised nobody _else_ has a problem with him.” Hot Rod scowled. “Do you not remember what Optronix did to the last ruler of Silverbough?”

“Chargedump had it coming.” Roller retorted with a surprising amount of conviction, and Shockwave turned to look at the mech with raised optic ridges.

“_Chargedump_ used to be the ruler of Silverbough?”

“He was called The Erlking back then. He cheated his way into the position, neglected the Hunt whenever he could get away with it, and on the rare occasion he _succeeded_ in a Hunt he’d make his prey into a live-in fragtoy.” Roller scowled, field prickling with anger. “Optronix was just the first of them who was smart enough to play dumb and turn the bastard’s games against him.”

Shockwave cycled his audials a couple of times, processing and reprocessing Roller’s words. No matter how many times he re-ran the information hough, he couldn’t make it add up. Chargedump, the public fragtoy Optronix held such contempt for, so laden down with protometal and mods Shockwave doubted he’d be able to escape even if he had enough of a processor left to _want_ to... had been a mech capable of running Silverbough? Had ridden for the Hunt?

“It doesn’t make what he did right.” Hot Rod spat, and Shockwave shelved the conflicting processor thread for the moment. He’d untangle that later, perhaps ask Optronix for his side of the story next time the mech chased him down and swept him back to the manor at the core of Silverbough’s fascinatingly organic sprawl.

“Hot Rod, I don’t agree with Optronix’s ways of ruling either.” he reminded the mech, and Hot Rod settled back fully onto his seat, armour still bristled up. “It’s why I asked him to provide a guard, rather than try to move you all into the city.”

“Roller agrees, though.” Hot Rod scowled at the newest member of their camp, and Roller shrugged.

“He’s a decent mech, so long as you don’t slag him off. And I don’t have to stand guard at as many stupid dinner parties anymore. How he rules is none of my business.”

“Alright, let’s not argue about this right now.” Shockwave interjected, cutting off Hot Rod before he could fire back something probably offensive. “We’ll shuffle the schedule around, and Roller you can accompany Hot Rod out tomorrow. Settle it outside of camp.”

“Oh I will.” Hot Rod growled, and Roller chuckled.

“Bring it on, mutie.” he teased, and Windcharger had to grab Hot Rod magnetically to stop him from attacking Roller then and there.

“I’ll melt your helm off your damn shoulders!”

“Hot Rod, _cool it_.” Shockwave snapped, standing and putting himself between Hot Rod and Roller, the heat rolling off his frame enough to make warnings pop up on Shockwave’s HUD. “Roller, apologise.”

“What for?” Roller asked, and Shockwave turned to fix him with a glare.

“Hot Rod’s alt-mode is scrambled, not mutated. _Apologise_.”

“Geez, alright, I’m sorry.” Roller rolled his optics. Skywarp warped over behind him and thwacked him upside the helm.

“Like you mean it!” Skywarp demanded, and Shockwave relaxed slightly to see how readily his students came to their friend’s aid.

“It’s just a word.” Roller argued, and a pitched whistle drew Shockwave’s optics to a pair of familiar frames at the edge of the clearing.

“Are we uh, interrupting something?” Trailbreaker asked as he and Damus walked into camp, each carrying a sizeable cube of energon.

“Just Roller _apologising_.” Shockwave gritted out, glaring at Roller. “I can always tell Optronix about this, you know.”

That seemed to finally get through his thick processor, and Roller slumped as Skywarp whacked him on the helm again. “I’m sorry I called you a mutie.”

“And?” Shockwave prompted as Damus made his own approximation of a stunned whistle.

“And it won’t happen again. Honest.”

“Good. Hot Rod, you can argue with Roller all you like when you’re out energon-hunting tomorrow.”

“Cool, but uh, why’s he here?” Trailbreaker asked, and Shockwave quickly filled them in.

“Roller, these are Damus and Trailbreaker.” he tacked on at the end when he realized he’d not actually called either of them by name yet.

“Nice to meet you.” Roller inclined his helm. Damus managed a particularly potent expression of disgust, despite not having a face to emote with, and turned away to say something to Hot Rod too low for Shockwave to make out.

“Nice to meet you too, I think.” Trailbreaker frowned, setting his cube down. “But if you do call Hot Rod that again, I’ll hold you down while he melts your face.”

Shockwave really, truly hated the fact that he couldn’t explicitly condone his students’ threats of violence in defense of the mech they’d accepted into their group while still remaining a neutral, moral leader figure. With any luck, a little shouting match tomorrow would clear the air enough between Roller and Hot Rod for life at camp to be improved by the mech’s presence.


End file.
